The Best Books of 2023

We had a great year of books! In 2023 I tried to make sure we read a variety of books, essays, non-fiction, historical fiction, mystery, thriller, fantasy, and classic fiction. I liked that it pushed us out of our comfort zone a few times, but we are set in our ways and our top picks line up similarly to prior years.

We both loved our top pick and it was a great way to start off 2023. Our favourite book was Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. This historical fiction followed Elizabeth Zott as she tries to make it as a chemist in a man's world. She ends up with a cooking show where she teaches chemistry to house wives. This novel was funny and insightful, with more than a few quotable moments.

Our second favourite book of the year was none other than the third edition of The Thursday Murder Club, The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman. Each year we read the latest instalment and each year we remember why we love our favourite crime solving seniors. In this book the gang is looking into the disappearance of Bethany Waites, mostly because Joyce has a crush on Mike Waghorn, a local news presenter and close friend of Bethany's. As this mystery unfolds, Elizabeth and Joyce (unknowingly) receives a death threat and the group must work to solve two problems at once. As always, the novel is full of wonderful characters and twists and turns to keep you guessing.

The third favourite is where our lists diverged. Jen's third favourite was Looking For Jane by Heather Marshall. This historical fiction explored motherhood through the intersecting stories of three women living in different decades. The topic could be controversial to some, but we thoroughly enjoyed learning more about a dark time in women's rights and were saddened to see some parallels emerging in the present. We both enjoy a good historical fiction by a debut author and the Canadian content was a bonus!

My third favourite was Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney. This dark murder mystery takes place on a secluded island where family members are slowly being killed off. You won't believe who the murderer is and what happens to our narrator, Daisy. I love a good mystery and this one kept me guessing right to the end. I have recently discovered a love of Agatha Christie and this novel has a similar premise to And Then There Were None, which we recommended you read after Daisy Darker. The clever plot and well written characters made this novel a great read that we had trouble putting down.

So there you have it, our favourite books of 2023. I won't name a specific least favourite, but we both leaned away from the essays and the non-fiction this year. And I may have been less than thrilled with our fantasy choice, but overall we read some really great books this year.

Let us know what your favourites were this year! We would love to hear from you.

Until next time, have a drink, read a book, and be happy! See you in 2024!